He moved to Cawifornia to pursue a basebaww career. Instead, he was hired by Wawt Disney in 1937, and assisted in de production of de studio's fuww-wengf animated features, incwuding Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo and Bambi. His speciawty was animation of dunderstorms, waterfawws and oder effects.[5]

Five monds prior to Pearw Harbor, Baker was drafted (June 1941) into de United States Army. He rewated water dat he expected dat de Army Cwassification System wouwd have no use for his artistic experience, noting "They say it makes cooks out of mechanics, and vice versa. But I must say, it worked perfectwy in my case."[5] To his surprise, he was assigned to Fort Monmouf for basic training and to create animation for Signaw Corps training fiwms.

Baker won a cartoon contest, sponsored by de "Defense Recreation Committee", and received a portabwe typewriter as first prize. Life magazine printed some of his submissions, and he was hired by Yank, de Army Weekwy, where he adapted his drawings of de misadventures of an army recruit into The Sad Sack. Drawn in pantomime, de strip became de magazine's most popuwar feature, as measured by de fan maiw from servicemen who identified wif de wuckwess private. In an officiaw document, Generaw George C. Marshaww praised Sad Sack as a morawe-booster for Worwd War II troops.[citation needed]

At de end of de war, de U.S. Army created an advertising campaign wif de phrase: "Don't be a Sad Sack, re-enwist in de Reguwar Army". Discharged from miwitary service, Baker returned to wive in Los Angewes where he transformed de Sad Sack army cartoon into a syndicated comic strip and a comic book series aimed at younger readers.

Whiwe Baker gave de job of writing de comic narrative to oders, he continued to iwwustrate de Sad Sack comic book covers untiw de time of his deaf. The Sad Sackradio program was broadcast in 1946.

^Sad Sack Net: Baker described de drawing dis way: "The drawing here was done by a very good friend, Sergeant Gregor Duncan, of de European Stars and Stripes, a short time before he was kiwwed in de Awwied advance on Rome."